ASPEN
SHERRIFF, JUDGES, PROSECUTORS AND COMMUNITY UNITE IN SUPPORT OF TIPSY
TAXI

The Aspen (Colorado) Tipsy
Taxi program helps keep both locals and tourists safe from the devastation
caused by drunk drivers by offering an alternative to impaired driving.
Tipsy Taxi is a Safe Ride Program operated by the Pitkin County Sheriffs
Office with the support of local government, businesses, the criminal
justice system and local leaders. Bartenders and peace officers are authorized
to distribute vouchers good for up to $75, ensuring that those who may
have had too much to drink can get a free taxicab ride home.

The program enjoys enormous support, as shown by the donations and contributions
from every segment of the community. Since no tax dollars are used to
underwrite Tipsy Taxi, an innovative local judge decided to provide the
program with a funding boost. In addition to other penalties, the judge
sentences offenders to pay Tipsy Taxi anywhere from $35 to several hundred
dollars, depending on the severity of the drunk driving offense. In fact,
Tipsy Taxi's advertising was designed by a graphic artist who was caught
driving impaired. He was sentenced by the judge to develop print PSAs
as his community service project.

The program operates
24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and during its 18-year existence has
given more than 20,000 safe rides home. Through the years the program's
budget has ranged from $7,000 to $60,000 per year. Deputy Ellen Anderson,
who heads up Tipsy Taxi, stresses that all funds raised go directly to
getting people safe rides home. She adds that all administrative costs
are absorbed by the Pitkin County Sheriffs Office or from specially earmarked
donations and contributions made by private citizens and local businesses
alike.

Since the inception of Tipsy Taxi in 1983, deaths caused by drunk drivers
have decreased.

A model partnership, Tipsy Taxi is administered by a volunteer advisory
board including representatives from the Pitkin County Sheriff's Office,
the Aspen Police Department, the Pitkin County attorney, emergency room
physicians, local businesses, the local restaurant association, the local
taxi

company,
the recovering community and citizens at large. Aspen's Tipsy Taxi has served
as a model for similar programs throughout the United States and even Europe.
For more information, contact Deputy(Retired) Ellen Anderson, Pitkin County
Sheriff's Office, 970-923-5064, or visit the web site at www.tipsytaxi.com

YOU DRINK AND DRIVE. YOU LOSE. MOBILIZATIONS

Impaired driving is an
ongoing problem, and the most effective Designated Driver programs are available
year round. There are, however, key points during the year where impaired
driving seems to be at its worst: during the summer months and the winter
holidays.

The National Highway Traffic
Safety Administrations (NHTSA) You Drink & Drive. You Lose. campaign stages
two law enforcement mobilizations each year over the July 4th weekend and during
the winter holidays to help raise the driving public's awareness of the devastating
toll impaired driving exacts on families, neighborhoods and communities
all across America. As you plan your Designated Driver program, consider
staging high-profile events or activities during these mobilization
periods to support law enforcements efforts and save lives.